Why is my mom experiencing sudden weight loss at 65?

Question

Hello doctor,

My mother is 65 years old, 5'6", and used to weigh 156 pounds, but she is now down to 125 pounds. About 10 years ago, her sister passed away. After she came back from that, things started becoming different. She was tired all the time, started losing weight, and her appetite decreased.

We thought it might be because her sister had passed away, and that she was going through depression. But my mother and her sister were not that close, and the weight loss did not stop. She went to the doctor and found out she had skin cancer, though not a serious kind, and underwent same-day surgery. She was okay after a week or two.

They also removed a benign tumor the size of a pencil eraser. About a month after that, she started getting scratches on her skin. She would explain it as “feeling a pinch,” then she would look at her leg or arm, and there would be a scratch. She had multiple scratches on her body.

Multiple blood tests were done, skin cultures were taken, and nothing was found. We thought it might be her cat, but the cat was tested for every disease and also treated with sulfur to eliminate any microscopic mites.

She also bathed with lemongrass, antibacterial soaps, used borax detergent for her linens, and tried organic scrubs and lotions. Doctors thought it might be a parasite, so they treated her with antiparasitic medicine that she had to take twice a week, but there were still no results.

Now my mother is losing her hair, and trying to drink whey protein weight-gain shakes to help increase her weight. She is tired all the time, and I feel like my mom is disappearing right in front of my eyes.

My mom smokes about one and a half packs a day, yet she does not have high blood pressure. Her heart rate and pulse are fine, but she is on heart medicine as well. She has a swollen lymph node on the right side of her neck. She does not drink alcohol.

She has pulmonary lung disease, for which she is on medication, and acute arthritis.

I am feeling hopeless and desperate for direction and help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Before answering your query in detail, I would like to know the findings of the previous evaluations done for weight loss. Please send me the complete details of all investigations, reports, and treatments that have already been carried out, as this will help in understanding the condition better and avoiding unnecessary repeat tests.

Coming to your case, some of the most common causes of sudden or unexplained weight loss should be considered first. These include:

Endocrine causes such as hyperthyroidism (thyroid gland producing excessive hormone), diabetes mellitus (metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar), and other hormonal disorders.
Infectious causes, including chronic infections such as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) or tuberculosis (airborne bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis).
Psychiatric causes such as depression, anxiety, or anorexia nervosa (a serious eating disorder and mental health condition).
Malignant causes such as cancers of different organs.

There are many other possible causes as well, but these major conditions should be excluded first before proceeding to more specialized investigations.

Investigations that could be helpful in this regard are as follows:

Thyroid profile for thyroid status.
Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) or blood sugar test for diabetes.
Abdominal ultrasound scan (USG) to examine abdominal organs.
Chest radiograph (X-ray) to evaluate the lungs.
Skin biopsy of the lesion if skin changes are present.

Depending on the results, additional tests may also be required.

Please review again with the results of these investigations so that the case can be assessed further and appropriate guidance can be provided.

Thank you.